10.59, Saturday 8 Jul 2000

Names are but aliases to positions in some universal deeper structure. Another way: document.all.[id] is only one way of referencing. Thoughts:

  • The deep to surface transform is akin to creating a two dimensional map from a higher dimensional system.
  • What is the deep structure? When we produce a scientific model of a system -- say, quantum mechanics describing the double slit experiment -- what is surface and what is deep? We have have the equations and the physical system itself.
  • When we describe a quantum system, are we saying that the universe is as we say? No. We are interpreting equations. The equations are more fundamental than our understanding of them.
  • If I propose a deep structure to explain all of reality (and if it actually does explain -- as in rationalise -- reality) then can we still talk about unfalsifiability?
  • If I explain part of reality by some proposed deep structure, I'm making a metaphor. A metaphor is a metalink between one system and another. Shouldn't the deep structure be indescribable in terms of surface structure?
  • Similar systems, wherever they are, behave in the same way.
  • Things are defined by the things around them. I can describe an unspeakable by speaking of many things and making constructive interference at the second degree connections.
  • The existence-of-a-deep-structure is an unfalsifiable in itself. What if there isn't one? What if there is? Does it matter?
  • The only guide we have to the validity of a model once it has been shown to work is beauty.
  • Beauty is the consistancy of form on the system level or beyond. It is resonance of the model with some other pattern in the meta structure.

I'm lost, stumbling around with ideas I can barely hold in my head: Lack of training, I imagine. As we grow, we add to our reportoire of metaphors; coming across them is difficult and they're hard to keep hold of to begin with, but then they become part of your self. I made a list of mine, once. It's a little out of date now, and the later ones (it's in chronological order) have the mark of being made from a certain perspective. I should update.